"Those Who Call Me an Anti-Semite are a Small Fringe of Radical People in My Country"

An Inteview with Jimmy Carter

By RIZ KHAN

Transcript of December 12 interview on Al Jazeera.

RIZ KHAN:President Carter I wanted to have a chance to ask you a question about your book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.. Obviously.I'll start with a quote actually. The first one on my list, it says "A system of apartheid with two people occupying the same land but completely separated from each other with Israelis totally dominant and suppressing violence by depriving Palestinians of their basic human rights." Now a word like apartheid is very powerful message coming from you. How much did you have to think about using that one particular word?

FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER: Well obviously the word applies to what's happening in Palestine and not what's happening in Israel itself. Because Israel is obviously recognized as a democracy and within Israel itself, within the nation there are equal rights for both Arab Israelis and also Jewish Israelis.

So the book applies to the Palestines. Secondly I use that word deliberately and it's an accurate description of the circumstances there because I wanted to provoke an almost non-existent debate and discussion in my own country.

Where rarely is any sort of presentation of the conflicting points of view that I see everyday when I'm is Israel, in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv or when I'm in an Arab country obviously or Europe. So I wanted this book to be somewhat provocative and that's why I used a deliberately provocative word.

RIZ: Well Sir you've faced a lot of backlash in the media, especially the American media for using this word and also for your description of what you feel is wrong with this situation. What is your view on the American media's backlash with you? What's your view on the way the American media stands on this nowadays?

CARTER: Well I feel quite as ease and think the media has been very fair to me. Certainly the electronic media, radio, television, I've probably been on 60 or 70 broadcasting stations since I began promoting my book just about a week ago. And they've permitted me to answer their questions and to present my views and explain my book without any intimidation or editing. I can't say the same thing for all of the written media. But even there when I have submitted an editorial versus I'm in Los Angeles right now, I've submitted an editorial to the Los Angeles time at their request and last week they published it in their newspaper. But my reference to the general discussions before my book was published and my hope is the publication of the book itself, which is quite an accurate text by the way, will open up fir the first time and maintain open for the first time in many many years equal in it equal discussions of the issues that relate to Palestine.

RIZ: So I want to get to another quote in the book. This one, the second one I have in my list here, referring to obstacles to peace in the Middle East. You write "Israel's continued control and colonization of Palestine land have been a primary obstacle to a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land." Now you've accused to being anti-Semitic for the comments you made in the book and those sorts of comments. How do you respond to that claim?

CARTER: Well you didn't quote that whole thing because I went on to say on the other hand the Israelis feel intimidated and quite often afraid, I know many Israelis and they are seeing horrible acts of terrorism of violence against innocent Israeli citizens, both inside Israel where there weren't any combatants and also in occupied territories. So there's equal blame on both sides and obviously as long as there are acts of violence against innocent Israelis, the Israelis are gonna react in a very strong way to protect themselves and they use these terrorist attacks or acts of violence, if you prefer to call it that, as an excuse for maintaining their control over occupied territories and also for building the wall which penetrates deep within Palestine.

Israelis used the building of an enormous wall around Gaza. The excuse was this would inhibit terrorists' attacks, to use that phrase, against Israeli citizens.

So there are troubling circumstances on both sides and every Israeli knows the threatening comments that are coming for instance from Iran from Tehran vowing that Israel as a nation would be destroyed and they read some radical voices among the Palestinians saying that they would never accept the right of Israel to exist and to live in peace. So the blame for the problem that has prevented peace is obviously from both sides.

RIZ: Well Sir, we've had a large number of emails, I'm going to read two of them one after the other because they refer to similar subjects and get your response to them once I've read them. The first one's from Lina Barakat who writes from Palestine, who says " If you had this clear stand of the Arab-Israel conflict while you were still in office, would it have changed history? How can we break through this vicious cycle of "silence while in the office and talk later"? Please convey my gratitude and admiration for Mr. Carter" The second one from Riaz Gaudir, which we got from our feedback forum on Al Jazeera says "President Carter was at the heart"

CARTER: I would rather take it one at a time because I may not remember them both. Let me say that when I was in office I spent 4 years to the best of my ability using all the influence of my personal life and the influence I had as President of the United States to bring peace to Israel and her neighbors. I met with every leader in the entire Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, as well as multiple factions in Israel and I tried to find some leaders who would negotiates and I finally got Begin and Sadaat. Prime Minister Begin of Israel and Sadaat from Egypt to negotiate, others refused. The major threat to Israel militarily and otherwise at the time was obviously Egypt. I knew that before I became president there had been 4 years in just 25 years. We were successful in negotiating a peace agreement at Camp David between Begin and Sadaat. It was signed in September 1978 and it guaranteed withdrawal of Israel from occupied territories and specifically honoring UN 242 and also Prime Minister Begin agreed specifically to withdraw Israelis military and political forces from Palestine. This was presented to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and they approved this agreement by 85%. Later 6 years later..6 months later in April of 79 I finally negotiated a detailed peace treaty between Israel and Egypt and this was also ratified by both governments and not a word of that peace agreement between Israel and Egypt has been broken. Now since 1979, almost 27 years, so I did the best I could when I was president and if all of those commitments had been honored then we'd have peace in the Middle East.

For the full interview go to http://www.counterpunch.org/khan12142006.html

Des effets personnels de Taoufik Amri auraient été retrouvés

lors que le procureur de la République de Nantes, Stéphane Autin, avait indiqué, dimanche 10 décembre, que l'enquête menée après la disparition de Taoufik Amri, le 22 novembre,"confirmait" la version donnée par les trois policiers qui ont procédé à son interpellation. Des élements révélés par Le Figaro, dans son édition de ce mardi, fragilisent leurs déclarations. Selon le quotidien, des documents appartenant à cet ouvrier tunisien ont été découverts "flottant dans un cours d'eau, à près de 500 mètres du lieu où les trois fonctionnaires affirment l'avoir relâché". "D'autres effets personnels auraient, en outre, été retrouvés quelques kilomètres plus loin." RELÂCHÉ PRÈS DU CANAL SAINT-FÉLIX En outre, deux étudiantes entendues lundi par la police judiciaire de Nantes affirment que le jeune homme a été relâché à proximité du canal Saint-Félix, soit à plusieurs centaines de mètres du lieu indiqué par les policiers nantais, explique Le Figaro. Ces nouveaux éléments ajoutent des incohérences et des contradictions au récit des trois fonctionnaires. Le soir du 22 novembre, ceux-ci n'ont consigné aucune information sur leur intervention. Ils ont récemment affirmé avoir interpellé brièvement M. Amri parce qu'il ressemblait au signalement donné après une tentative de vol à l'arraché commise le soir même dans les parages. Ils assurent cependant l'avoir relâché peu de temps après, à quelques centaines de mètres. M. Amri, père de famille, n'a pas été vu depuis son interpellation. Les pompiers qui sondent la Loire n'avaient rien trouvé lundi soir. La Tunisie, par la voie diplomatique, aurait réclamé à Paris de plus amples explications sur cette affaire qui concerne l'un de ses ressortissants, indique le quotidien.

Mr Annan is preparing to step down on 31 December Kofi Annan speech

Kofi Annan has made his final speech as UN secretary general, calling on the US not to lose sight of its core principles in its fight on terror.

"No nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over others," Mr Annan said, urging the US to respect human rights in its "war on terror".

Mr Annan said states had to be accountable and the UN was the only body where this could be assured.

The speech has been interpreted as a sharp rebuke of President Bush.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Mr Annan was entitled to his opinions.

"There's no secretary-general of the United Nations that's going to be in lock-step with the United States or any other country with regard to its policies," he said.

"It's not that person's job."

Abuse of power

Our correspondent in Missouri, Jonathan Beale, said Mr Annan again raised objections to the Iraq war, a war he has already condemned as illegal.

"When power, especially military force, is used, the world at large will consider it legitimate only when convinced that it Is being used for the right purpose - for broadly shared aims," he said.

KOFI ANNAN'S FIVE LESSONS Collective responsibility Global solidarity The rule of law Mutual accountability Multilateralism Annan's speech: full text

Mr Annan, who has led the UN since 1997, will be succeeded by South Korea's Ban Ki-moon on 1 January.

He delivered his speech at the library of late US President Harry Truman in the Missouri city of Independence and spoke of five lessons that he had learnt during his time at the head of the UN.

In the address, he urged the US to embrace its natural and historical role as responsible global leader and warned that no nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over others.

'Troubled friends'

He praised the US for being historically "in the vanguard of the global human rights movement".

But he also said that "that lead can only be maintained if America remains true to its principles - including in the struggle against terrorism".

"When it appears to abandon its own ideals and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused."

This country has historically been in the vanguard of the global human rights movement. But that lead can only be maintained if America remains true to its principles UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Profile of Kofi Annan

Mr Annan also stressed that Washington's current position in the world gives it "a priceless opportunity" to entrench the principles of democracy at a global level.

But he stressed that this was no clash between Western and Eastern civilisations.

"All civilisation is at stake, and we can save it only if all peoples join together in the task."

'Far-sighted leadership'

Mr Annan's speech is also highly symbolic, our correspondent says, as the outgoing UN head has chosen the venue deliberately - the library of President Truman.

President Truman was an early champion of the UN - a contrast to Mr Bush, who has been one of its harshest critics, our correspondent says.

During the speech, Mr Annan repeatedly quoted the words and philosophy that informed Mr Truman's politics.

He ended with an appeal for a shift in US policy, saying "In order to function effectively, the system still cries out for far-sighted leadership in the Truman tradition."

"I hope and pray that American leaders of today and tomorrow will provide it."